Andrea Harner
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July 12, 2006

July 4th Weekend: The Berkshires!

It was July 4th weekend and we were off to the Berkshires - we had never been there so we were going to share in the fun of exploring together - or so I thought. Once we got there Jonah realized, "oh, I have been here!" Great...

Nature - opening shot:

BerkshiresJuly4Nature1.jpg

First stop was Mass Moca because we were sick without art - j/k. - like really really j/k. We got there in the evening and noticed it so stopped by.

Oooohhhh, arty shot from behind, Dre!

BerkshiresJuly4MassMoca1.jpg

Our friend Natalie Jeremijenko's upside down trees!

BerkshiresJuly4NataliesTrees.jpg

Jonah didn't realize how he inspired me here...

BerkshiresMassMoca3.jpg

Until I did this funny move:

BerkshiresJuly4MassMoca2.jpg

There's only so much art you can take so we went in search of Jay-Z cds. We stopped at Walmart and discovered that they were all censored cds so in tremendously effective protest we didn't buy anything. We did however notice that a bird lived in the A:

BerkshiresJuly4WalmartABird.jpg

Thank god for Best Buy, we had uncensored tunes to get us to putt-putt!

We weren't going to be fooled by their tricky course.

BerkshiresJuly4PuttPutttrickycourse.jpg

All lined up - lookin' good, Dre!

BerkshiresJuly4PuttPuttAhsetsitup.jpg

Hhhhhmmmmm:

BerkshiresJuly4PuttPuttAHsad.jpg

This is what is called an air putt or what Jonah calls a practice swing:

BerkshiresJuly4PuttPuttJPmisses.jpg

Jonah slapped himself a few times and got serious:

BerkshiresJuly4PuttPuttJPserious.jpg

And looked towards the mountains in search of his ball:

BerkshiresJuly4PuttPuttJPlooksoff.jpg

FYI - I lost to Jonah by 6 points. I'm pretty sure he cheated by 7 points.

The following morning we set off to our primo destination - Shaker Village! You heard correctly...

While there, we seriously contemplated celibacy since the Shakers lived that way and wondered, "is it so different from our lives now??" ha ha ha ha ha ha HA!!

BerkshiresJuly4Shaker1.jpg

We asked the guide all dressed up (more like dressed down!) like a Shaker what the biggest scandal to rock the Shaker community was and he answered with a story about two Shakers in love, taking the train up to Albany and getting married. Once married however they were filled with such remorse that they hung out in the lobby of the hotel all night so that there wouldn't be any mistaking that they did not consumate their marriage. Supposedly the guy was so guilt-ridden he returned to the Shaker community that morning and the woman took the $10,000 they had embezzled from the community stash and took off, never to be seen again!

That was what we needed to know so then we were off!

No American holiday weekend is complete without a car show!!

We searched for a car for me - either a Jag XJS or an MG Roadster, I'm flexible - but unfortunately they were mostly all American cars:

BerkshiresJuly4CarShow6.jpg

Makes me proud to be American:

BerkshiresJuly4CarShow1.jpg

Can't not love this - it's purple:

BerkshiresJuly4CarShow3.jpg

Owner of this car's a big skiier:

BerkshiresJuly4CarShow4.jpg

I wanted what Granny had:

BerkshiresJuly4CarShowGranny.jpg

We were a bit concerned but not enough to investigate - buffalo wings called:

BerkshiresJuly4CarShow1.jpg

We ended that day by drinking beer and eating buffalo wings at the pub across from the inn where we stayed - we're married, what do you expect us to do? Party?!

The following morning we were off to Waconah Falls! I love love love love love waterfalls.

BerkshiresJuly4WaconahFalls.jpg

Snowmelt feels cozy:

BerkshiresJuly4Wachonah2.jpg

Fellow Americans:

BerkshiresJuly4WaconahAmericans.jpg

A forest nymph:

BerkshiresJuly4Waconahfairy.jpg

We then went biking!

I especially enjoyed leaving Jonah in the metaphorical dust and gloating!!

BerkshiresJuly4BikingJonahindust.jpg

I even had time to admire the shadows:

BerkshiresJuly4BikingShadow1.jpg

Now can you see him??

BerkshiresJuly4Biking.jpg

My view while biking - his view was a still-life:

BerkshiresJuly4BikingFast.jpg

Although he was gaining speed...

BerkshiresJuly4BikingJPspeedsup.jpg

Poor me didn't know he was getting closer...

BerkshiresJuly4bikingAHdoesntknow.jpg

Check out his shadow's body language!

BerkshiresJuly4BikingJPsneaksup.jpg

And then I heard a super annoying, "ON YOUR LEFT!"

BerkshiresJuly4JPcaughtup.jpg

And then it was his turn to gloat:

BerkshiresJuly4Bikingsurpassed.jpg

And enjoy his view and mess up mine - not that we're competitive:

BerkshiresJuly4BikingJPlooksout.jpg

Friendly tip - if you're deathly allergic to bee stings like yours truly, it's good to wear bright colors that attract bees like a flourescent orange skirt as pictured and to forget your epi-pen:

BerkshiresJuly4Bikingoutfit.jpg

Who doesn't love gooses geese on a lake?

BerkshiresJuly4BikingGeese.jpg

And purple flowers?

BerkshiresJuly4Bikingpurpleflower.jpg

Oh my god! What happened to the background??!!

Berkshiresjuly4bikingpurpleflower2.jpg

White flowers:

BerkshiresJuly4whiteflowers2.jpg

After biking and smelling photographing the flowers along the way, Pecks Falls was our next destination and second waterfall in one day!!!

BerkshiresJuly4PecksFalls.jpg

They were beautiful:

BerkshiresJuly4PecksFalls1.jpg

And I was cold!!

BerkshiresJuly4PecksFalls4.jpg

But I knew I had to brave it:

BerkshiresJuly4PecksFalls2.jpg

Even as I got numb and number:

BerkshiresJuly4PecksFallsAHalmostin.jpg

Because it is almost always worth it:

BerkshiresJuly4PecksFallsAHfullyin.jpg

JP was ready:

BerkshiresJuly4PecksFalls7.jpg

Looking brave, Jonah!

BerkshiresJuly4PecksFalls9.1.jpg

Frozen pensive moment - he might have been peeing here:

BerkshiresJuly4PecksFalls10.jpg

He was fine!

BerkshiresJulyPecksFalls11.jpg

Nature - closing shot:

BerkshiresJuly4Nature2.jpg

* Thanks to me for my ingenuity to finally google, "html for crossing out words" and discovering the STRIKE TAG!!! Get used to a lot of crossed out words, bitches!! Please bear with me while I overuse this great html tag for a while!!!

** Thanks to the friendly guy at Berkshire Outfitters (not at all like Urban Outfitters, people!) for the Pecks Falls tip!



Comments

Another beautiful set of photos.

Posted by: Hasan at July 12, 2006 1:35 PM

Being the nerd code stickler I am, you should use the del tag instead, as it complies with the more stylin XHTML 1.0 Strict, like what all the cool kids use. But if you insist on being different, you can shorten the strike tag to s, saving you precious seconds so you can post more awesome photos.

Posted by: Huy at July 12, 2006 4:46 PM

You are a genius! I never knew how to do that strike tag thing. Now, I will overuse it too. Solidarity sister!

Posted by: Ashley at July 12, 2006 7:51 PM

The company's North Adams Service Center is directly across from Mass MOCA, right behind the channeled watercourse at both buildings' backs. You may have seen the silly arched thingie spanning the "river" - long story there...

The Berkshires are... I suppose... okay, but the White Mountains in New Hampshire... well, they are (quite simply) themselves! Not necessarily purpled mountained majesties, but... the range does feel uniquely Old-World for a New World location.

However, the posted pictures are certainly worthy of one or two Norman Rockwell paintings - very appropriate given the pictures' setting!

Posted by: |mr|Darcy at July 13, 2006 3:32 PM

wait. you are allergic to bees? your kid really will live in a bubble. but it will be an awesome bubble and s/he will still be outlandishly adorable.

Posted by: yay dogs! at July 13, 2006 8:39 PM

at every wal-mart that uses those letters, birds make nests in the A's, at least all across the midwest.

Posted by: mike at July 14, 2006 10:47 PM

purple flower was purple loosestrife...bad invasive plant...yes I dork like that...

Posted by: jomama at July 18, 2006 8:27 PM

So I'm sitting here looking at the vacation of a couple I don't even know, and I wonder. Really, Yosef, is this all you can come up with to do at 2:20 on a Wednesday morning?

Nice Firefox, though.

Posted by: Yosef at August 23, 2006 6:51 AM
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